Buyer’s Guide to Custom Banner Printing

Banners are everywhere – in front of car lots, outside small businesses, hanging up at the little league stadium, at the annual beer festival – everywhere. Banners have been used to draw attention since medieval times and before, and they are still some of the best tools for attracting and earning new customers. The consistent use of vinyl banners since their invention cements their reputation as a quality driver of foot traffic and attention. No matter how big or small your business is, strategically placed and designed banners are a time tested and inexpensive way to promote your brand and services.

Outdoor Banners

Outdoor banners will be seen by the largest amount of people, often driving by on the roads, or at large functions so it’s imperative to choose the right design and shape for the location. Made of high quality vinyl and built in hemming on the edges, these banners won’t get destroyed by the elements. With fade resistant UV inks standard, you won’t have to worry about color fading when exposed to moderate levels of sunlight.

Hanging outdoor banner for university.

What are the best uses for custom outdoor banners? Outdoor banners are great at festivals and concerts for directing pedestrians and cars to the right location, for registration, on the canopies of food booths, and anything that needs to get the attention of the participants. Another example would be local youth sports teams that will hang up banners for one or more seasons promoting the team sponsors.

Local companies love sponsoring youth teams for the brand promotion, and the teams are able to fundraise to cover their season costs. Church banners are very common, as new churches in the neighborhood will order banners to put up at their temporary church location while they’re settling in. The use cases are endless, and just about any business that has a physical presence either permanently or temporarily can use outdoor banners to attract customers.

Any design that can be dreamed up can be printed on the vinyl banners, whether it be company logos, custom artwork, or digital photos. The more creative customers are with their designs, the better since they only have a short amount of time to capture their customer’s attention before they move on to the next thing.

Indoor Banners

Indoor banners are popular at trade shows, conventions, or inside large stores and warehouses. Think your local home and garden show or inside of Costco. They can be used as sales support and point of purchase displays to alert customers of your specials or encourage additional purchases. Another example for indoor banner use would be as a display piece for regional sales reps for special displays in stores to promote your product.

Indoor mesh banner.

Your customers are generally up close when viewing these so you can use smaller to medium sized banners depending on the placement within the premises. You can also include more information and smaller typography on these banners as the audience will generally be able to take the time to read them. At the same time you want your message to be clear and direct the customer to the proper action such as take up your offer for a sale or sign up for a special promotion. These are less exposed to the elements so with proper care they tend to last longer than outdoor banner.

Hanging Banner Displays

Hanging banners displays are full ready to display systems that come with the full support structure to conveniently display your banner wherever is convenient for you. This system is perfect if you have a shop that you want to display your hanging banner display outside of during the day and want to bring it inside during the night. It would also be convenient for trade shows or festivals to draw attention to your booth when it’s only a temporary set up.

Indoor hanging banners

Standard banners can be hung on their own as well without the full hanging banner system. All indoor and outdoor banners come standard with grommets that make them easy to hang wherever. If you’re hanging the banner between large columns or poles like outside of a storefront, we recommend using bungee cables attached in all four corners to keep it secured. If you’re hanging the banner on a chain link or wrought iron fence, heavy-duty zip ties will keep the banner sturdy and strong in the wind.

Large Banner Printing

Large banners are perfect for outdoor use when you really need to draw attention to your display or store. Car lots are huge purchasers or large banners since they need these bad boys to be seen from hundreds of feet away by car flying by on the freeways. Music festivals get large banners printed for their registration booths and main entrances.

Photo credit: Digià Service, Flickr

When mattress and furniture stores are having huge sales, they turn to large banners to make bold statements and draw in the customers on holiday weekends. Depending on your industry, a healthy dose of large custom banners printed for your business may be a necessary tool for successful marketing.

Banner Sizing and Shape

Typical banner sizes fall within the 12” to 240” inch range (1ft – 20ft) but irregular sizes can be accommodated for on an individual bases. In addition to irregular sizes, banners can be custom printed and custom cut to any shape imaginable. If you want to print out a triangular flag instead of a rectangular one, it’s no problem at all! Your custom printer can help you determine the best sizing for whatever project you have. In the case of our company, we have design and installation consultants that can work within your goals to match up what size and number of banners you need to get the job done.

Material and Care for Custom Vinyl Banners

In general, custom vinyl banners are printed on high quality 13 oz. outdoor vinyl, which is standard for the industry. This high quality material makes the banner tear resistant and able to withstand harsh conditional for up to two years. Outdoor banners specifically are hemmed at the edges to increase their durability. Most printers will offer higher duty vinyl for added strength. For example, we offer 15 oz. material instead of the standard 13 oz. for an upgrade.

There are some general rules for maintaining your banners to keep them in good shape for up to five years:

Roll up your banner with the print facing out when storing

Never fold your banner, but roll it up

Keep your banner out of direct sunlight and out of extreme heat such as the trunk of your car

You can clean the banner with mild soap and water using a soft rag or paper towel

Don’t use abrasive objects or pressure washers to clean the banner

Follow the above and keep the banner well maintained to extend the life span to as long as five years or greater.

Banner Installation and Accessories

Most printers will install the banners for you at your location if you are in the local area. Grommets are included with banners for ease in hanging and they are installed around the edges, spaced apart according to banner size two to four feet apart and at each corner for added ease in hanging. Bungee cables are best for banners that will be attached to large poles or columns that are too large for zip ties, but zip ties work really well on most fences or thin poles.